Interview Your Grandchild

What You Need: No materials.

Doing It:

Questions are important in intergenerational communication. Children are full of questions: May I have a cookie? Why is the sky blue? Is there a Santa Claus? Are we there yet? Having the patience to answer them is important -- and grandparents often have more patience than parents because their role is different and the time they spend with children is limited.

In addition to answering questions, grandparents should also ask them. When you ask a grandchild about themselves -- their feelings, their ideas, and their opinions -- it helps you get to know them better. Asking grandchildren questions and encouraging reflective answers also teaches them an important skill. They learn to think clearly for themselves, make choices and solve problems, and become independent thinkers. As people get older, questions, and their answers, become more complex. They have consequences. They require more thinking, more work, and a process that may be demanding or painful. Asking children fun, engaging questions when they're young prepares them for life's big, difficult questions when they're older.

Here are some sample questions to ask your grandchild the next time you're visiting or talking on the phone (choose questions appropriate for the age of grandchild):

What do you like most about school? Least? What would you like to change?